Mars

by Asja Bakić, Jennifer Zoble (Translator)

Mars showcases a series of unique and twisted universes, where every character is tasked with making sense of their strange reality. One woman will be freed from purgatory once she writes the perfect book; another abides in a world devoid of physical contact. With wry prose and skewed humor, an emerging feminist writer explores post-Soviet promises of knowledge, freedom, and power.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Feminism

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Asja Bakić is a Bosnian poet, writer and translator. She was born in Tuzla, where she obtained a degree in Bosnian language and literature. She has published a book of poetry, Može i kaktus, samo neka bode (It Can Be a Cactus, as Long as it Pricks, 2009), which was nominated for the Kiklop Award for best debut. Her second book, a collection of short stories entitled Mars (2015), was shortlisted for the Edo Budiša Award for young writers. Her poems and stories have been translated into English, Polish, Czech, Macedonian, Slovenian, Romanian and Swedish. She writes the blog In the Realm of Melancholy and is co-editor of the feminist webzine Muff. Bakić participates in the European poetry platform Versopolis. She has translated Emily Dickinson, Alejandra Pizarnik, Elizabeth Bishop, Emil Cioran, Jacques Rancière and other prominent authors into Croatian. She currently lives and works in Zagreb.

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories from Bosnian writer Asja Bakic, translated by Jennifer Zoble, run a gamut of speculative and satirical situations (so don't expect Mars as a setting for most of them.) These stories capture a bit of bizarre combined with complex characters but all with a larger commentary on the world. (They reminded me of Julia Elliott (The Wilds) in the way there are elements that sneak up on you and take a story in an unexpected direction.)

I had a copy of these stories from the publisher through Edelweiss. The collection came out March 19, 2019, and this is a good one to earmark for Women in Translation month!

[Vuk Vuckovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Od izlaska knjige 2015. čekao sam da dođem do ove knjige, zbog jako puno pozitivnih utisaka koje sam čuo o njoj, i konačno je Štrik izdao knjigu ovde kod nas. Knjiga je stvarno dobra!
Naravno, ima problem od koje boluju sve zbirke priča - jednostavno skoro nikad nisu sve priče istog (vrhunskog) kvaliteta - ali kvalitet je generalno visok u celoj zirci. Verovatno da se i neke slabije riče čitaju zasebno, delovale bi jače nego ka se pročitaju nakon neke vrhunske knjige iz iste zbirke.

E sad, knjiga ima 10 priča, idealno za ocenjivanje x/10 za 10 = xxx/100 - što sam i uradio, naravno :D
idemo redom

Izlet na Durmitor = 7/10
Zakopano blago = 9/10
Talus gospođe Lichen = 10/10
Abby = 7/10
Asja 5.0 = 6/10
Mesožder = 8/10
Strasti = 9/10
Gost = 9/10
Put na Zapad = 6/10
Donji svijet = 10/10

TOTAL: 81/100 = 4; mada bi ocena više bila 4,5+ (jednostavno, nije ovaj matematički model baš dobar za ocenjivanje i zbirka dobija 5 na kraju)

Za razliku od Dinka Kreha koji u Booksi ( https://www.booksa.hr/kritike/mars-im... ) govori o tome kako "Talus gospođe Lichen" spada u slabije priče, smatram da je to možda i najbolja priča iz zbirke. Osećaj msterioznosti - odnosno ta atmosfera u kojoj se odvijaju sve ove priče možda je i najveći kvalitet ove proze, a atmosferu je stvarno teško postići u pisanju - kao i u životu, bez prave atmosfere nema života (kakve velike misli, jbt!).

Druga velika stvar u ovoj knjizi jeste taj osećaj nedovršenosti priča, ali u nekom pozitivnom smislu za čitaoca. Vidim da su to isečci iz života likova i prosto bih voleo da su neke priče trajale i duže - možda je to danak današnjoj prevelikoj orijentisanosti na roman kao formu i njegovu zaokruženost, ko zna? Ovako sam bio uvučen u neke priče i poželeo sam da znam još neke stvari o likovima, a Asja Bakić je baš na tim mestima prekinula priče i osujetila me u tome, što je odlično za same priče i njihovu generalnu atmosferu.

Preporuka su, dakle, "Zakopano blago" ,"Talus gospođe Lichen", "Strasti", "Gost" i "Donji svijet", ali nećete pogrešiti ni sa jednom pričom iz zbirke.

[Ruzica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Svaka čast Asji na ovoj baš sjajnoj proznoj zbirci. Već ima nekoliko osvrta ove knjige na internetu u koje se može zaviriti, tako da neću ništa naširoko. Proza koketira s SF-om, distopijskim svjetovima, ima puno simbolizma i referenci na pop kulturu, a određene priče nose obilježja krimića. Sve to napisano s puno ironije, groteske, ali nimalo patetike. Dijalozi su toliko pametni i dovitljivi da jednostavno želiš još ovih priča koje nadilaze svijet koji poznajemo i gledaju u neku uvrnutu budućnost. A s obzirom na recentne događaje u svijetu, možda i ne baš toliko uvrnutu i daleku. Jer u ovim pričama pisci su izgnani na Mars, kontinent imigracije više nije zapadna Europa nego Afrika, a stvarnost nije ono što se u prvi mah čini da jest, donekle i zbog našeg labilnog i nepouzdanog sjećanja.

Priče su stilski vrlo ujednačene, a o kvaliteti Asjinog stila ne treba uopće govoriti. U svemu ovome se provlači i neki cinizam koji nije istaknut u prvi plan i autorica kao da se potajno izruguje svijetu koji je otišao u nekom krivom smjeru. Ali priče opet nemaju naglašenu notu angažiranosti, nego se radi naprosto o autoričinoj želji (barem ja imam takav dojam) da stvori kvalitetnu priču i uvjerljivu atmosferu. A to je ipak nešto što najviše cijenim jer onda poruka, ako je i ima, djeluje autentično, a ne bačeno u lice čitatelju.

Priče Strasti i Talus gospođe Lichen su moji osobni favoriti, dok mi se čini da je priča Mesožder možda najslabija karika zbirke. Ali sve u svemu, priče su koherentne i trebaju se čitati baš ovako kako dolaze u knjizi - povezane i jedna iza druge, jer tako čine moćnu cjelinu.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange and mysterious settings plague this intensely striking and infectiously readable debut collection of speculative short stories. From a woman who must write herself out of pergatory, to a future world in which all literature and their authors are packed up and sent away to Mars, many of the stories focus on the power of the written word in some fashion, creating interesting and alluring atmospheres. Worlds are upended, relationships are not what they seem, protagonists face personal epiphanies... it's a melting pot of sci-fi meets cli-fi meets dystopian meets speculative fiction in which every reader is bound to find something to love.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great way to start my reading for 2023. These short stories are strange and follow characters have to come to terms with bizarre realities. In one, an author must write her way out of purgatory. In another, books have been banned and authors are shipped off to Mars.
Bosnian author Asja Bakic highlights the power of the written word, with each story packing a punch. They are intense, bizarre and unexpected but each takes you on a fun journey.
Personally, I loved 'The Talus of Madame Liken', 'Abby' and 'Passions' but there isn't a bad story in Mars.

[Ellie Botoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

my grandmother's folktales got a cyborgian upgrade

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very well reviewed collection of fantistika from Croatian Asja Bakić that made the Publisher's Weekly best fiction list for 2019. It is the feminist perspective that makes this stick out and I would compare this with Carmen Maria Machado's short stories.

[Ks. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply extraordinary.

[Deedi Brown (DeediReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

All my reviews can be seen at https://deedireads.com/.

Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to The Feminist Press for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book! It’s out March 19th.

I’m not sure where they had me: “short stories,” “speculative fiction,” or “feminist lit.” Because I love all of those things. And I was supremely ~not disappointed~. These were make-you-squint-and-think stories. I carried a pencil with me when I was reading it and underlined or circled a significant portion of the words on each page.

Short stories are one of my favorite formats because they can put an idea in your head and do something with it in such a short timeframe. Bakić is no different, and her prose is striking. What I especially loved was that she was straightforward enough that you got the theme she intended and some of the imagery, but you had to work a little harder for the details of her metaphor. She led you to it instead if giving it to you, which was incredibly fun and engaging (and intriguing).

I know it might be a dark horse, but don’t miss this one!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim volume of short stories brilliantly blends elements of horror, feminist thought and science fiction. The tension and pacing of these stories is intense, plus I was propelled from each story to the next and rarely felt myself dragging in reacclimating, a feat many short story collections don’t achieve for me. Definitely my favorite of my recent strange speculative collection reads! Quick, strange, and completely compelling, I highly recommend to you all. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
My favorite stories were Abby, an eerie and compulsive read about a woman grappling with her total lack of memory; Asja 5.0, set in a world without lust where a woman and her clone attempt to escape their ex; Passions, where an author contemplates a lost friendship and becomes obsessed with the authorship of a book she didn’t write; The Guest, in which a journalist goes to investigate a cult; and The Underworld, about a world where all books and writers have been exiled to Mars.

[Vedran Mavrović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zbirka kratkih priča od kojih su mi neke imale nedorečen kraj, neke kao da nisu imale kraj, a neke su imale baš sve. Čak i ono više.

Kad se pojedina priča dotakne “našeg” svijeta, ogrne se nujnošću i iskorači u prošlost. Ne zatvara vrata za sobom. Pusti da cigareta izgara u čikobernici i da se kafa slegne. Te priče su mi daleko najjače i zbog njih dajem ovako visoku ocjenu.

Stil je vrlo izbrušen, britak, ne ostavlja mjesta pogrešnom skretanju. Samo je jedna cesta i to ona kojom vozi Asja. Bez kočnica.

Topla preporuka (sa ili bez šalice čaja).

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Definitely eerie, definitely weird, but I expected something more, or something different. Still, some great stories, and cool ideas. Wide variety of themes and vibes, from horror to sociological in a way, there are migrants and aliens, Mars and the world as we know it upside down
Cool collection, although my expectations were higher

[Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird stories. Sometimes it felt like parts of the narrative were just ... not there? So the stories never really let you settle in. I was occasionally reminded of Olga Tokarczuk.

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Asja Bakić's 'Mars'recently. This is my first ever Croatian book and so I was very excited. (Asja Bakić is Bosnian (I think) and she lives in Croatia and writes in Croatian.)

'Mars' is a collection of ten short stories. They are hard to describe. For want of a better word, we can call them speculative fiction. There is science fiction there, speculative fiction and a story on gender identity. There is even a thriller / murder mystery and a story of immigration, but which is not what it seems. Many of the stories have surprising endings.

I loved all the stories in the book, but even in a book filled with wonderful stories, we have one or two which we love more than the others, don't we? My favourite was 'Abby'. In this story, the narrator is a young woman, who seems to have lost her memory. The man who is with her says that he is her husband. But the woman starts having suspicions, because their supposed names look like English names (he says that her name is Abby), but they are not speaking in the English language. Also the man keeps all drawers at home locked, and mostly stays by her side and almost never lets her out of her sight. Occasionally, he goes out for grocery shopping, but always gets back in ten minutes. Once he catches her trying to telephone someone, and he disconnects the telephone. The woman starts feeling that she is a prisoner in that home. And she decides to do something about it. What happens after that forms the rest of the story. As we read the story, we feel that we have got into Abby's mind, and we can feel the dread creep into our soul, when Abby discovers that she might be a prisoner. The ending of the story was totally unexpected and amazing and something that I didn't see coming. You have to read the story to find out what happened 😊

One of the stories that I laughed out loud while reading was 'Buried Treasure'. The beginning of the story was hilarious and was filled with dark humour. For example, read this passage.

"The adults mourned, each in their own way, but the children had no time for grief. At that moment they were just beginning to discover sex, which, had the parents known, would’ve devastated them more than the grandfather’s death."

I couldn't stop laughing when I read that 😊

Asja Bakić is very different from other contemporary women authors from the region, as Ellen Elias-Bursac explains in the afterword to the book. While other great women writers from the region wrote realistic fiction and nonfiction, Asja Bakić wrote speculative fiction which was a blend of science fiction, feminism, eroticism, horror, and the macabre. Or in other words, Asja Bakić was unique and she kicked ass.

I loved 'Mars'. I love Asja Bakić. There is a new collection of her short stories that has come out in Croatian. I hope it gets translated into English soon. I can't wait to read it.

Have you read Asja Bakić's 'Mars'? What do you think about it?

#AsjaBakić #Mars #CroatianLiterature #CroatianFiction

[Ronald Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s basically pure coincidence that I read this book of Croatian speculative short stories immediately after reading Daša Drndić’s Belladonna - I say it’s coincidence as it’s been years since I’ve read Danilo Kiš, literally the only other Croatian author I’ve read, and here I’ve read two new-to-me Croatian authors in the span of two days. Life is funny some times.

This was really good. Not terribly surprising, as I’m only aware of it due to its presence on a few best-of 2019 lists - the same ones that listed Maze of Transparencies, Evidence of V, The Book of X, and Memory Police - so the bar was high, but the sources remain solid. Plus, I’ve gotten pretty decent over the years of sussing out the things that will appeal to me.

These are weird, dark, horrific - no, not all at the same time - works of affecting speculative fiction. It’s always nice to find these sorts of collections, especially from areas of the world I am greatly unexposed to; I need to keep digging for stuff like this, it is deeply rewarding.

[Qonita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suka!! Asja Bakić definitely sits together with Bora Chung, Budi Darma and the likes (at the end of the table maybe, but still!). Her short stories have that unsettling vibe and eerie random twists with lots of tasteful creativity. It reminds me a bit of Cursed Bunny in that sense, but with a naughtier, slightly more playful dystopian/post-apocalyptic edges, and sans the body horror. Each story is a good stand alone but they're quite cohesive as a whole too, making this a solid anthology in the same tune. Some of the stories aren't that.. well executed? But I still enjoy this a lot <3

[Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished—so so good. Amazing collection of short stories. Each story you’re thrown into so quickly and just when youre starting to make sense of it the story ends, but in a way that is perfect and needed to be. Highly highly recommend

[M]

A fascinating collection of short stories by Bosnian author Asja Bakić, „Mars” stole my attention in a Croatian library this autumn, so I bought it even though I already had a bunch of new books from that trip. And I made no mistake, as I loved the first story „Day trip to Durmitor” - a funny and imaginative tale about the afterlife of writers and the two secretaries you meet when you die. It’s a great introduction to the book’s themes and style, as it contains its strangeness, its peculiar humor, and its obsession with writing-related stuff. The book goes on to explore multiple genres, from weird fantasy to sci-fi and parallel worlds, with touches of what could be called ‘magical realism’ and eccentric obsessions. The writing is sharp and the stories are short, you can pop one and off you are into a universe that makes you frown and giggle. “Abby” and “Asja 5.0” explore feminist themes of sexual repression and liberation in worlds in which men either can own sexuality (Abby) or almost no one can (Asja 5.0). “Carnivore” about a man enticed by the smell of a woman’s meat (yes), was way too eerie for me to grasp, and weirdly, I associate it in my mind with another feminist short story I was reading at the time - the one by Lina Meruane in Freeman’s “Change” anthology, about a mother’s care and cooking in post-apocaliptyc future in which food is scarce and there is no ‘meat’. Both just left me a bit perplexed in their association of women and meat, which is, otherwise, a thoroughly studied concern in (eco)feminist animal studies. Nonetheless, one of my favorite stories was “Passions”, about a writer’s obsession with a woman from her youth, and all her projections about her. It’s one of those that just draws you in completely. “Heading west” is interesting for its tipping of the world (and the refugee crisis) upside down, and lastly, “The underworld” another story about writer exile (this time, on Mars!), closes the book somehow re-playing, in a new way, the themes of the first story. This reading was also part of my wish to explore Eastern European writers more, and I can say that, yep, it was a good choice.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have given up on this sooner than I did but it was such a quick read and the reviews were so positive that I powered through. I'm probably not the ideal audience for this book, stories about future or alternative worlds don't always appeal to me and sci fi usually doesn't but at the same time I think if I'd appreciated the writing I could have handled the subject matter. Asja 5.0, Passions and Heading West were the only ones I liked at all, the latter of which was effective in its simplicity. There is the theme of writing throughout the collection and some interesting ideas in the first and last stories about what writing means and its power but so many of the stories just left me cold and the writing itself was unimpressive. Clearly many readers would disagree with me so don't let my review put you off but this wasn't for me.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is eerie and wry, very writerly with delicious genre flourishes. Come for the writer stuck in purgatory; stay for the writer exiled to Mars. In between there are cults and doppelgangers, murderesses and clones. Weirdness abounds. Favorite line: "The moon overhead is incredibly close now, enormous, like a nipple wanting to breastfeed my paranoia."

[Sophie Romy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich bin so verwirrt

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up with absolutely no idea what it was about — only that the author's name was a variant of the name of a friend of mine, and that it would get me a new country (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for read-around-the-world-challenge. The first few stories were a really strong indicator that I would like this and at first I was ready to have it be that rare short story collection that actually gets 5 stars. I loved the writing style and the matter-of-fact way the surrealist and speculative elements were presented, I loved how it sat perfectly in that weird genre-confusing space that so many of my recent favorites occupy. Well of course there is buried alien treasure down the mountain, and it's only natural that this strange man can create glowing green things from thin air, and didn't you hear that all writers were exiled to Mars? I loved the strangeness of so many of the setups, the atmosphere, and the way that the speculative elements felt so natural, more in the vein of magic in a folktale than a fantasy story. If that makes sense. Unfortunately — and I am completely willing to blame this on the fact that midway through the book I learned I had covid — a few of the stories I didn't quite get, even upon rereading them, and I felt like either I was missing something (Buried Treasure) or the ending came out of nowhere (The Guest) or similar. could just be the fault of The Illness! Alas.

My favorites were The Talus of Madame Liken (I loved the timeless, almost fairy-tale-esque atmosphere, the revenge/not-quite-murder-swapping elements, the way the fact that the narrator sometimes killed people was kind of totally a nonissue, and the extra layer of mystery at the end), Abby (all I wrote in my notes here was "I loved the speculative elements in this...so up my alley!" but I think what I liked the most about this was the unfurling and the ending and the way the more sci-fi parts felt so natural), and Heading West (which had a captivating atmosphere, an uncertain ending, and the delightful switching in perspectives where the characters were looking towards Africa for a better future — something you never see in American fiction!). I'd definitely read more by Asja Bakić if her books come across my path again:)

[savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the first short story collection I've actually been interested in through its entirety!! there wasn't a bad story, all of them were enjoyable, stood well on their own, and managed to remain cohesive without feeling repetitive.
a few of the endings of some of them for sure went over my head, but to me that is part of the appeal of a short story; they give enough of a tale to keep the reader satisfied, but leave room for speculation.
all in all, this was a lovely read, I absolutely will be picking up Bakićs other collections!

[also, I believe this is the first time I've ever read from a Croatian writer!!]

[Erin Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up because I was enjoying this, and then the last 2 stories happened. I left it on a low note, but there were some great ones in here. My favorites were:

1. Buried Treasure - Subtle small town darkness that was effectively creepy.
2. Abby - Did not see where this was going. Unsettling, just two people in a room and things escalate.
3. Passions - Loved the way this looked at obsession/jealousy and the way our attention or lack of it impacts our insight.

Some of these were realism or close to it and some were more speculative. I didn’t know what was “allowed” in any given story because of that which made it more unpredictable. I appreciated the range Bakic showed here. For the most part I enjoyed her straightforward style as well. But some of the stories didn’t do much for me, left me kind of meh. Per usual with short story collections, I suppose.

[Julia Modde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wer das Absurde und Merkwürdige liebt, wird in diesem Kurzgeschichtenband fündig. Science Fiction meets Female Gaze meets Metafiction meets Gesellschaftssatire. Eine wilde Mischung, bei der ich manchmal irritiert, manchmal geflasht, manchmal berührt war. Um die Geschichten zu beschreiben, müsste ich neue Genretitel finden wie sexy Dystopie oder poetische Science Autofiction?! „Mars“ ist eine Empfehlung für alle, die mal etwas anderes lesen wollen und sich dabei aus der eigenen Komfortzone des Eindeutigen und Verständlichen heraus bewegen möchten.

🇭🇷 #readtheworld21

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foray into Contemporary Bosnian Fiction (although she writes in Croatian?), and it did not disappoint.

My favorites were probably:
Abby (a woman wakes up with no memory, and not sure if she can trust her husband)
Asja 5.0 (a woman and her clone want to escape her boyfriend. Also, this is the author's name)
The Talus of Madame Liken (a serial killer is confused by a killing happening in his territory)
Passions (about a woman trying to figure out the author of a short story collection, only to be told it's her, but is it really?)
Heading West (about immigrants, but with a twist)

[Tarredion · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the short stories in this collection varied from 2.5’s to 4.5’s, maybe one 5; most of them on the lower end, 3, 4. But I thought the inflection of the language, the certain twists, the odd (and w e i r d) yet striking depictions of children, and the very last story in-and-of-itself were really really interesting.

And, I was captivated the whole way through. Never hated a story, never thought Bakic disappointed me. Never could I perfectly predict a story, either.

It’s not the kind of collection where I’m wholly obsessed or would reread it cover to cover .. but bits and pieces. For sure, it’s one to consume purely for its strangeness and its themes, which go hand in hand.

It reminded me a bit of playbook, despite its prosaic nature. Something about the dialogue, the twists and turns, the minimalism. The violence, vulgarity. Eeriness. Sarah Kane but slightly less extreme, perhaps ? Could be totally off on that … it’s just an off-the-cuff observation.

Some things definitely made me too uncomfortable for comfort, but that just means I know to avoid those specific stories going forth.

(I will warn for discussion around children’s knowledge of adults’ sex lives, because that’s part of what made me uncomfortable, but there wasn’t any direct sexualization of children or csa or anything like that.)

[Frane · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Radijacija na Marsu je, kako su nam objasnili, stavljena pod kontrolom, ... I dalje mislim kako su aparati koje su nam dali da je mjerimo - neispravni. Cesto imam glavobolje i osjecam mucninu, ali mozda su to samo simptomi moje nostalgije, moje zelje da se vratim doma."

[George Neville-Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of imaginative short stories.

[Miloš Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great bunch of weird short stories.

Recommended to me by a friend.

I'm keeping the friend.